Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 12

Nyx paused as he saw a flash of blond hair, turning down the hall, grinning as he sped up a bit. "Prompto!" he called, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

No one had seen him in months, and they were all worried, although the Marshal himself had told them his recovery was going well. The kid went rigid under his hand before yanking away, putting his back to the wall, blue eyes wide…blue eyes that were darkening towards black…his hands were pressed to the wall...nails looking a little long and Nyx's hand slipped down towards his kukris holster instinctively at the sight, but he forced himself not to draw the blades. Prompto stumbled back further, breathing accelerating, hands trembling.

It wasn't possible…was it? He couldn't be, not the Prince's best friend. He was overreacting, he had to be, no way that could be a secret, not with how they'd had him training in the pool before the attack. Unless…he'd Awakened since? Then the Crown would know because he was still living in the Citadel. He wasn't reacting like a harpy, he was backing away, looking scared.

"Prompto!" A familiar voice called and then Gladio was there, moving between them, his back to Nyx. "Come on Prom, look at me. It's okay, nothing happened. It's just Nyx," the Shield murmured and then his arms were around the smaller male.

Nyx moved back and to the side a bit to see. Prompto was clinging to Gladio who gently nuzzled his throat like he would to calm a fellow mer, one in the same pod. He had to have missed something because no harpy would allow a mer so close to their throat. Then he heard the soft crooning noise coming from the blond and he was even more confused.

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"S…sorry," Prompto stuttered and Gladio hushed him, hating to hear it.

It wasn't his fault, he'd been doing so well since his first mer transformation that they'd relaxed, maybe a little too much. They should have re-introduced him to more people before letting him wander alone. At least Nyx wasn't too bad an option if someone had to see anything.

He was just happy that Prompto had practically gone limp in his arms, crooning softly at his nuzzling. His first job was to calm him down and sooth him, then he could worry about the Glaive who had thankfully remained and was keeping his mouth shut.

"Know where Cor is?" he asked softly and Prompto shook his head. "Okay, let's get back to Noct's. Ulric," he barked, and the man nodded, falling into step with them, Gladio keeping between them.

He hoped the Glaive took it well, Prompto needed more friends than just them and he had been friendly with Nyx and his friends before his Awakening. As they walked he texted Cor to come to Noct's rooms, in case they needed the backup.

As soon as he opened the door, Noctis limped out of the hall, saw Prompto, and was at his side so fast he practically warped. "Prom? What happened?" he tugged Prompto down onto the couch, holding him and Prompto burrowed into him.

"It's my fault, Your Highness," Nyx offered, bowing to Noctis. "I startled him in the hall."

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Noctis frowned at Nyx's words, running his fingers through blond hair. Prompto's senses were good enough now that it was surprising Nyx had managed to startle him but even then, why would it upset him so much…unless he started to shift. He nudged Prompto's head up and then nuzzled at him gently. "It's okay," he promised before looking at Nyx again. "What did you see?"

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Nyx swallowed at the sheer Royal presence the Prince was radiating, despite the casual clothing and the fact he was slumped on the couch with Prompto almost in his lap. Nyx couldn't help shifting to stand at full attention, knowing that right then, the Prince was very dangerous. There'd been rumours flying about the blonds position in Noctis' life since they became friends, well, Nyx thought they could be laid to rest now. Prompto was the Prince's Fourth, he had to be with the greetings and how protective he and Gladio were.

"I saw Prompto in the hall and called his name, we've all been worried since no one's seen him in months. I put my hand on his shoulder and he yanked away. His breathing began to speed up, his hands were shaking, and he backed towards the wall."

That was the easy bit, he could treat it like any report to a superior, though he made sure to use Prompto's first name rather than his family name. Obviously whatever he'd seen wasn't what he'd first thought, and he didn't want to upset him. Had they bonded and his mer form had really dark eyes or big pupils? A deep sea dweller perhaps? Though that didn't explain the crooning noise he'd heard.

Prompto shifted in the Prince's hold, glancing at him before hiding his head again and Nyx fought the urge to flinch. The blond had been a bit shy, awkward, and unsure when they'd first met but he'd become a friend. When he'd seen him limp in Ignis' arms that day, blood in the water around him, he'd been scared. They faced enough issues being refugees from Galahd, he'd never realised how much worse other groups had things, especially those from Niflheim. That Prompto had been attacked twice because of where he was born had been something of a reality check for all the Glaive, showing them just how much worse things could be.

Nyx took a deep breath before continuing. "Prompto's eyes began changing colour, heading towards black. Gladio showed up then and stood between us, focusing on Prompto to calm him down. I heard Prompto make a sound like a croon when Gladio nuzzled his throat," he stopped as the door opened, admitting the Marshal.

Cool blue eyes took everything in before focusing on the boy in the Prince's arms. "Prompto," the Marshal called, and the blond was moving, the Marshal holding him gently.

Nyx looked away, giving them privacy. The relationship between Prompto and the Marshal confused many, but Nyx figured the man was a better parent than the Argentum's. And yeah, those noises were neither human or mer, but he held his tongue, realising both the Prince and Gladio were watching him.

Prompto had been born in Niflheim, his carrying harpy genes was not surprising. His behaviour had always been strictly human before, until he'd learnt about mer's and begun training. He'd been learning to understand the language and how to react to their different behaviours. Then he'd been attacked, setting everything back. They'd still glimpsed him on occasion, first in a wheelchair and then moving on to crutches, almost all of his time spent in rehab but then he'd vanished. Had that been when he'd Awakened?

He glanced back at the Prince, finding him watching him. "He Awakened, didn't he?" he whispered.

He really wanted the Prince to deny it…but he didn't. He looked back at where Cor was still holding the blond, speaking softly to him, and Prompto was totally relaxed in his hold, clinging to him. How? He'd met his fair share of harpies on the battlefield and the kid was acting nothing like one.

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Prompto clung to Cor, unable to stop the soft noises he was making, begging for the comfort of a parent. Cor didn't push him away, one arm around him, the other gently running through his hair. He'd thought he had everything under control, that he was fine now. There'd been no trouble since he'd found his mer form, his instincts had equalised and calmed down. Why hadn't he sensed Nyx and why had he scared him?

"It's okay Sunshine," Cor murmured. "No one's going to hurt you."

He wished Cor could have kept him and not the Argentum's, he could have had a parent who cared. He could have been friends with the others earlier…but there was no point wishing.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"You've got nothing to apologise for. No matter how good your control, even people my age slip up when it comes to instincts. I've been a mer since I was thirteen Prompto, you've been a harpy for a handful of months, a mer for even less time."

Okay…that made sense and made him feel better. He'd seen Nyx's move for his blades, but he'd stopped. He hadn't attacked him or screamed, not that he thought Nyx was the type to scream or anything. He took a deep breath and turned around, Cor loosening his hold to let him. He looked up, meeting Nyx's gaze, seeing confusion and….worry?

"You okay kid?" the man asked.

Prompto nodded shakily. "Sorry," he muttered and then took a deep breath. "I…I'm a harpy," he told him. "But I'm also a mer."

Nyx blinked, staring at him in confusion before glancing at Cor. "How?"

Noct laughed at his response and then looked at Prompto. Prompto moved away from Cor to re-join him on the couch, though just tucked into his side this time and not almost on top of him. Gladio sat on his other side, his hand gently running up and down his spine and he felt himself relaxing further.

They all stopped as the door opened and Iggy walked in, the Adviser pausing as he saw who were there. "What happened?" he demanded even as he moved to the couch. Gladio quickly explained and Ignis crouched before him, reaching up to gently caress his cheek and Prompto leant into his touch. "Are you alright?"

"M'okay," Prompto told him.

"Nyx startled him into starting to shift," Gladio explained and Ignis looked over at the Glaive, green eyes cold behind his glasses.

"It wasn't his fault," Prompto stood up for him.

Nyx looked at him and Prompto offered a shaky smile as the older man studied him and then Nyx smirked at him and Prompto felt himself relax. "It wasn't your fault either Prompto," Nyx told him. "If you only Awakened after the attack, your control's incredible."

He felt his cheeks redden slightly at the praise. Everyone kept telling him that, but it was different coming from someone he wasn't as close to. "Thanks. It wasn't before."

"You had practically no memories and a voice in your head then Prompto," Noctis reminded him gently.

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"With me Ulric," Cor called, and the two older men left the Prince's quarters. He led him to a nearby room and locked the door, staring at the Glaive. "You understand this is classified?"

"Of course Sir. Although, you may wish to at least let word spread that he is recovering well. I know people have been getting worried since none of us have seen him."

Cor nodded, keeping Prompto so secret now could end up backfiring. Citadel staff caught sight of him occasionally but that was all and if Prompto was to get his life back then he needed to start being around others.

"Sir? He's really okay? I didn't think it was possible to be both mer and harpy."

Cor hesitated but then sighed and sat down, waving Nyx down as well. "You heard what Noctis said before we left?"

Nyx nodded, looking worried. "His memory? Is that why I startled him?"

"No, his memory came back, at least the majority of it. The little that hasn't isn't very important thankfully. Noctis began the bonding process during Prompto's Awakening, trying to stop it, we're not sure if that is what caused the memory problem. You saw him, Prompto is unlike any harpy I have ever seen or heard of. Have the Galahd ever seen one like him?" There had been those among the wild clans who had known of the mers and their enemies from the beginning. Perhaps they knew of others like Prompto.

"I could ask the elders, say I noticed an odd harpy on a mission to keep the kid out of it," Nyx offered, and Cor nodded. "He really has a mer form too?"

Cor nodded. "Feel up to getting in the water with him? We want to start introducing mers he already knows to him. He's been fine with the boys but you're right, he needs to start being around others."

Nyx took a second and then nodded. "Sure."

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Ardyn kept a good grip on Gil as they appeared in his wing of the Citadel. He felt the taller male flinch, eyes flickering to black as he tensed. "Easy Gil, there's no one here," he promised. He guided him to a suite and turned on the lights, letting Gil look around as much as he wished. He went and opened the door to the bathroom, glad that the fixtures in his wing had remained much simpler than those elsewhere in the Citadel, Gilgamesh had been living in a cave for two thousand years after all.

Getting him out of the armour took both of them and time, Ardyn healing his skin as they went. Eventually it was all off and he got Gil into the shower, ending up in there with him to help him. He didn't mind, the three of them had often had to help each other; when ill after a fight, or just when the weight of responsibility became too much to bear alone.

Once Gilgamesh was asleep, he went to see Regis with what young Lunafreya and Gentiana had told him. Finding out the boy had transformed into a mer for the first time while he was gone was a surprise but thankfully it had gone well.

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Nyx surfaced and grinned at the Prince and his friends as they walked into the pool room. "Ready kiddo?" he asked and Prompto nodded. Ignis and Gladio dove in, leaving Noctis and Prompto out of the water, the Prince talking him through something…right, the clothing trick.

Prompto tried but all he managed was his shoes and socks, frowning.

"Better than my first try," Gladio spoke up. "I only managed one sock, nothing else."

"Okay," Prompto took a breath and yanked his shirt off, hesitating when he reached for his pants.

Nyx turned his back, remembering how Prompto would never use the locker room with them, even wearing a shirt in the water if they were going to be around.

Then there were two more splashes and he turned around, jaw dropping as he took in Prompto's mer form. He'd never seen anything like it. "Lookin' good kid," he offered. "How're you going?"

"Fine," Prompto told him, studying him in return.

He knew he was nothing impressive compared to the others in the water, but it didn't bother him. He was built for speed with an elongated tail and a long, rigid dorsal fin that extended forward to form a crest, the scales on his back a lot darker to those on his front.

"So what are we doing?" Prompto asked and Noctis grinned at him, shoving him briefly under the water, laughing when Prompto surfaced and mock glared at him.

"Tag." He took off and Prompto laughed but the five of them were soon flying through the water in the game. The kid was the slowest of them at first, obviously unused to his form, although he was getting better all the time.

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Gladio looked over as Prompto cheered happily. He was on the computer, working on his studies, catching up on what he'd forgotten. Obviously he'd just gotten something right. They were all proud of how hard Prom was working so that he could go back to his university studies. Technically, he could now, but Prompto had wanted to cover all of the high school work first before getting back to it, just in case something he'd forgotten was relevant.

They hadn't spent a lot of time together, just the two of them, he knew he was the one least close to Prompto before the attack, but now they were all Noct's for life, bound by magic. He wanted to be as close to Prompto as he was Iggy, but he knew it would take time. When Prompto got stuck, Gladio was happy to be asked for help, moving over to see exactly what he was working on.

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Gilgamesh looked out the window, unable to fully comprehend what he was seeing. The world had changed so much since his Awakening. How could he ever belong to it? He knew there was another harpy in the Citadel, he could sense the boy though he doubted he could sense him in return. According to Ardyn he had only just Awakened in the last few months, he would know very little of what he could do yet. The boy would need help, to fully learn what he could do, to learn to fully control himself, not that Gilgamesh thought even he had full and total control all of the time.

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Regis watched the boys playing in the pools, Prompto moving easily through the water, as if he had been a mer for years and not weeks. Cor had reported the incident with Ulric immediately and Regis was glad the man had taken it so well, even helping with teaching Prompto to adjust to his newest form.

As he watched, Ulric and his closest friends moved out of the changing room to join them, the three Glaives slipping into the water. Regis smiled as he saw the three immediately joining in the games.

He slipped away before anyone noticed him, heading for his Uncle's wing to meet the legendary First Shield, Gilgamesh himself. He had never imagined having the chance to meet the man himself. Meeting a harpy so old…how powerful would he be? But he had spent all that time locked away to avoid hurting anyone, that told him a lot about his character. And having an older harpy around to help Prompto would be good as well.

He came to the doors and knocked, one of the few parts of the Citadel where he always knocked and waited to be let in. The wing had been Ardyn's since the Citadel was built after all. It took barely a minute for Ardyn to open the door to him, looking genuinely happier than he'd seen him in years. They spoke quietly as they walked to one of the suites in the wing where Ardyn gently rapped on the door.

"Gil? I have Regis with me," he announced. They waited quietly for a few minutes before the door opened and Regis found himself looking up and up. He'd known the man was tall but not that tall! He hesitated, staring at them, before cautiously stepping back to allow them inside.

"Welcome to Insomnia Gilgamesh," Regis offered, and the man nodded, keeping his distance.

"Thank you. Is the boy…well?"

"Prompto? He's doing well as far as we can all tell. There was one incident where he was startled and nearly started shifting, but he got it under control. He says he feels a lot more settled since he fell in the water and achieved his mer form for the first time," he explained, and Gilgamesh nodded. Ardyn had thankfully explained that mess to him once Regis had told his Uncle that the young man had turned when he'd fallen in.

"I will help him."

TBC…